Recipe for the week

Easy breezy pasta + vegan corn chowder 🌞

Happy Tuesday! I’ve been MIA for a minute because life just got super busy and hectic. I was in New York this past weekend for my sister-in-law’s wedding. It was such a beautiful event, and I had so much fun getting dolled up with the other bridesmaids to help make the bride’s day super duper special.

But now I’m back–sans makeup and wearing an apron–ready to bring you some tasty new recipes, like my quick ground turkey ragù above, and I even have a new

Exploring Vegan

recipe to share as well!

I’m also working on July’s meal plan for paid subscribers. While I try to send them out on the last day of each month, July’s will be a little delayed and will be in your inbox after the holiday. Here’s a sneak peek of two of the recipes for next month:

To the left is a Malaysian Curry Tomato-Corn Chowder with Shrimp. I’m a chowder fiend, and this chowder is explosively flavorful. It does the most with all the best summer produce. To the right is a No-Bake Black Sesame Cheesecake. To sweeten the deal, July’s meal plan will have exclusive coupon codes for Grumpy Ginger’s Malaysian Red Curry and Rooted Fare’s Black Sesame Crunchy Butter. You can sign up for 20% off my annual subscription plan by using the link below.

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Turkey & Sun-Dried Tomato Ragù

I use green bell pepper in this ragù because I like the sharper flavor it adds in contrast to the sun-dried tomatoes. If you prefer sweeter peppers, use red or orange bell peppers, or try it with one green and one red bell pepper for a mix. If you’re not a fan of ground turkey, make this with pork or beef instead.

PS: A print-friendly PDF follows the recipe below.

Cook time: 55 minutes | Serves: 5

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• 1 pound ground turkey

• 1 yellow onion, peeled and small-diced

• 1 green bell pepper, trimmed, seeded, and small-diced

• ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning, divided; plus more to taste

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon paprika

• Crushed red pepper, to taste

• ¼ cup water

• 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes

• ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided

• 16 ounces mezzi rigatoni or another tubular pasta of choice

• Fresh basil leaves, for serving

• Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the turkey:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a wide pot over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and season all over with salt, pepper, and half the Italian seasoning. Cook for 12–15 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks, until well-browned and cooked through. Add more salt, if needed.

2. Transfer the cooked turkey to a bowl.

Cook the aromatics:

1. If the pot is dry, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and turn the heat back to medium. Add the diced onion, bell pepper, and sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 5–7 minutes until the onion and peppers soften. Season with salt.

2. Melt the butter into the pot and add the remaining Italian seasoning along with the garlic powder, paprika, and crushed red pepper to taste. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.

Simmer the ragù:

1. Return the turkey to the pot and cook for 1–2 minutes.

2. Pour in the water and crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until thickened. Taste and add more salt or Italian seasoning if needed. Stir the ragù occasionally to prevent it from sticking.

Cook the pasta:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add plenty of salt. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Scoop out ½ cup of the pasta cooking water and then drain the pasta.

Finish the ragù:

1. Taste the ragù and season once more to your preferences. Add all but a few pinches of the Parmesan along with half the pasta cooking water. Stir until the cheese melts into the sauce.

2. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to coat for 1–2 minutes, adding the remaining pasta cooking water if needed. Once the pasta is glossy and well-coated, turn off the heat.

To serve:

1. Spoon the pasta onto a large serving platter and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on top. Serve with fresh basil leaves, and enjoy!

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Download the print-friendly PDF:

Turkey & Sun Dried Tomato Ragù

1.87MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

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New on

Exploring Vegan

!

Easy Vegan Tomato-Corn Chowder:

I told you I was a chowder fiend, and this chowder is just too divine. This vegan version loads up on fresh corn, potatoes, peppers, white beans, and grated summer tomatoes so you can make the most of summer produce.

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That’s all I have for today! I hope everyone has a wonderful week with lots of tasty food ahead.

-kylie